Completed research projects

EUDiM - Managing cultural diversity in small and medium-sized organizationsIn response to a
more and more culturally diverse workforce, a number of European private
companies and public institutions have initiated so-called management of
diversity programs. Despite increased research on this topic during the last
years disagreement over what management of diversity means is restraining the
development of a coherent body of knowledge. Much work is hypothetical and
findings of empirical studies about diversity management are still fragmented
and inconsistent.

Funding:Bayreuth
Research Institute for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BF/M), affiliated with the University of BayreuthDuration: December 2013 - June 2015
Researcher: Luisa Seiler

The efms analyses the motives of qualified employees for
migrating to the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. The target group
consists of skilled professionals from Germany and abroad who moved to
the Metropolitan Region during the past five years. A special focus is
given to the assessment of various life conditions in the Metropolitan
Region, as well as to the evaluation of support by the municipalities
and the employer upon arrival.

The project aims at describing the educational situation of children, adolescents and young adults of immigrant origin in Germany. By analyzing several large-scale data sets we study ethnic educational inequalities across various stages of the educational career for different migrant groups.

The project IMPACIM deals with the integration of non-EU family migrants, notably with the legal rights and restrictions that family migrants meet upon entering the new country and enable or hamper their (post-entry) admission to society. The project covers four EU Member States: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Funding: European Fund for the Integration of non-EU immigrants (EIF)Duration: January 2012 - June 2013Researcher: Doris Lüken-Klaßen

The project Concordia Discors analysed inter-ethnic relations in selected districts of cities in Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Hungary and Germany. The efms was responsible for research done in Germany.

The efms was elaborating an integration concept for the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd with regard to residents with migration background. The initial point of the concept development constituted a profound analysis of the efms on the current integration situation in the city. Subsequently, the elaboration of the concept emerged through a participative process with the involvement of the relevant actors on the spot.

On behalf of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the efms conducted a study examining the integration of Afghans, Iranians and Pakistanis in Germany on the basis of local studies in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

The study conducted by the efms as a member of the IMISCOE Network of Excellence focused on the integration of migrants with regard to local and national policy. The study developed strategic guidelines for common research on migration and the integration of migrants, and presented proposals for core research lines for the activities of the Network.

In the context of an extensive pilot study on the impact of immigration on European societies, which the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge - BAMF) commissioned as a national contact point for Germany in the European Migration Network (EMN) the efms dealt with the part on "Civil society and cultural context" and compiled a bibliography on the subject.

The project examined the subjective dimensions of naturalisation, such as motives for naturalisation, perception of social and economic opportunities, possibilities of political participation after gaining citizenship, emotions associated with the naturalisation process, cultural interests as well as feelings of belonging and loyalty. By using qualitative interviews the project generated empirically substantiated hypotheses on the "subjective meaning" of naturalisation in the overall context of the integration process.

Frankfurt has a population that is strongly characterised by immigration; almost every third person does not have a German passport. Besides non-Germans and naturalised migrants there is a third group of persons in the context of migration: ethnic Germans (Spätaussiedler). The objective of this project was to examine the demands and problems of integration in the receiving society in a concrete urban context. The following research methods were applied: analysis of official and non-official statistics, expert interviews, qualitative partially structured interviews and a quantitative written survey.

The research project examined the effectiveness of policies and strategies aimed at integrating young second-generation migrants in contemporary European societies. The core of the project was an empirical study on the integration strategies in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. This empirical study was supplemented by a number of country reports and secondary analyses of existing research findings on integration in the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Finland and Switzerland. Another element of the project was an analysis of Labour Force Survey data on the structural integration of young migrants.